Inboard vs. Outboard ??

A neighbor has a boat I may have some interest in, but noticed its an inboard, not sure of the HP yet as I havent looked at it yet. Its on an alluminum 16 ft Deep v boat, anyone care to provide any thoughts on one vs the other, Pros..Cons etc. I open to hear all about it as Im sure many others might be as well.

inboard or i/o??? not sure freyed is correct on fuel...my i/o 130hp mercruiser 19' heavy 'glass hull does VERY good on fuel!!! $25-$40 (1/3 of a tank) a day trolling erie...although he is correct about winterization!!!nov.-april i'm shorebound!!!

would NEVER go back to I/O or inboard power on a boat less than twenty six foot. Outboard provides more deck room, is economical and easier to work on for routine maintenance. Outboard eliminates the concern of bilge gasoline/oil leaks that once ignited are usually fatal.

A true inboard isn't that hard to controll. I had a 23ft Penn Yan single screw and could maneuver it about as well as any I/O or outboard. The big difference is response time. Twin screw is the most maneuverable of all.

ive always had outboards. easier to work on, more deck space and the only leak i ever worry about is if i put in the drain plug..i heard some horror stories of leaking i/o gaskets. boats sinking at the dock because of it, out ruinning and the lower unit hits something...boat sinks. of course these were just stories, no thanks. ill stick with the outboard.

now before someone thinks im against i/o's and wants to rip me a new one, im not. there just not for me. if you have one, great.

I got to chime in on this one. I got a 16 ft. fiberglass, wide beam high sides. It has a 160 hp io in it. Has an 18 gallon tank and it very definitly uses less gas than my previous 75 hp outboard. I can run 30mph at half throtlle, while my other outboard would be just about maxed out at that speed. I find the inboard motor much easier to work on. I do most of the work on it tuneups and such, just changed the coil. It does take up space in the boat, that's not so good. There is no oil to mix in the gas, that's good. I guess the main thing is that it be a good dependable motor.

As far as fuel economy, a buddy of mine has a 19' bluefin, deep-V and just put a new 75 hp E-tec on it. We were out last week and traveled about 12 miles out of Ashtabula. We also used the motor for trolling and were out for about 7 hours. It only took 5 and 1/2 gallons to fill the tank.

I have a 40 hp merc, 4-stroke on a 16' Lund and the fuel consumption is great.

I feel that if you can afford the new technology, it will pay you back in the long run in fuel savings.

I would stick with the outboards. More room in the boat and if something really goes bad, its a matter of unbolting the old and bolting in the new.

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